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- plizard, on 05/16/2008, -26/+90now the laptops will cost $1500 and come with vista
- sfacets, on 05/16/2008, -31/+88Sellouts.
- Andiz, on 05/16/2008, -12/+67And that was the end of the OLPC project.....
- redrock34, on 05/16/2008, -7/+57Hope those laptops can run antivirus software.
- jjpertusch, on 05/16/2008, -7/+30"Versions with Windows will cost $18 to $20 more; $3 of that is for Windows, and the rest covers hardware adjustments, like an additional memory-card slot, needed to make Windows run."
I say good. SugarOS was an absolute failure. I installed xfce on my XO and its finally barely usable. There were a lot of awesome things they did with Sugar, but right now it's crap. I hope people continue to develop it though.
Didn't Steve Jobs offer to develop a slimmed down OS X for OLPC but was denied because they wanted a fully open OS? That would have been cool to see. - Phocion55, on 05/16/2008, -9/+29Wasn't the goal of the project to aim for a $100 price-point as soon as possible?
And now, they're charging $20 EXTRA for a system with admittedly less specialized features and a 7 year old OS that MS is trying to phase out? You guys are going in the complete WRONG direction with this.
No mesh networking? No customized interactive educational software? Add some anti-virus software to it and get, what, a whopping 15 minutes of battery life?
What's even more revolting is that MS his charging $3 for an XP license - turning a profit from a non-profit project.
Seriously, XP is a great OS but is just a horrible fit for the original goals set for the OLPC. - bigmac7669, on 05/16/2008, -6/+25....and won't be compatible with anything
- Cthalupa, on 05/16/2008, -13/+31A lot of these comments are very ignorant.
First off, the OLPC project has lost multiple contracts to various countries because they couldn't provide Windows. This will open those opportunities back up. These means more laptops to more kids. How you can say that this is a bad thing is beyond me
Second, the SugarOS laptops will still be available, and will not be going away anytime soon. Eventually, they might be phased out when the dual boot solution is available, but definitely not until at least that point.
Third, the entire point of the OLPC project is to help the kids. Even if you hate Microsoft, will you deny the fact that they are on top of the world, as far as OS go? Even though Linux is gaining support and use, Windows is still the predominate OS, and will likely stay that way for some time. You can banter about ideology all you want, but the fact of the matter is, the kids will have one more employable skill to add to their list if they can use Windows, and this is ultimately a good thing.
The OLPC project is not dead. They are not forcing everyone to move to Windows. They are not cutting off support for the SugarOS. They are not doing anything at all except providing more options to facilitate the project having greater penetration. Quite frankly, the hate simply because it will have a variant available with Windows, is abhorrent. - known, on 05/16/2008, -8/+25Open Source Software promotes Competition.
Closed Source Software promotes Collusion. - burnstyle, on 05/16/2008, -17/+31"our new $100 systems will come with windows XP installed...
these premium systems will be called 'The $200 Laptop' " - DeFex, on 05/16/2008, -4/+16Oh well thats the end of that then.
- thorseth, on 05/16/2008, -12/+24Nooooooooo!
- frostbyt, on 05/16/2008, -4/+15Now 15 children have to huddle around 1 laptop.
Steve Ballmer: What's the big deal? - YodaJones, on 05/16/2008, -14/+25Microsoft: Where all good ideas go to die.
Microsoft = Miami - halleyscomet, on 05/16/2008, -1/+12Actually, Microsoft is only providing a $3.00 per install license, not additional financial aid.
- HouseCentipede, on 05/16/2008, -2/+13The laptop will come with a $7 memory card to hold it. That with the $3 cost of a Windows license will make the (not $100) laptop cost $10 more. Great to see that all the fat the engineers trimmed to cut costs being spent on this.
- ElbertF, on 05/16/2008, -3/+13Very disappointing, the laptops originally came with Python software that the kids could hack themselves, learn from the source code etc., this is crap. The software was also very graphical and easy to understand, now they have to learn English first?
- purplehaze420, on 05/16/2008, -2/+12Pointless comment is pointless.
- neilschelly, on 05/16/2008, -2/+11I disagree. This was about bringing technology to places in the world that don't have it. They could get it with OLPC reasonably cheaply, which was great. Now, that technology will be hobbled by Microsoft. Ultimately, now we're going to suffocate markets that had the opportunity to grow free from Microsoft into new profit centers for Microsoft.
This will do more damage than good.
-N - Cthalupa, on 05/16/2008, -3/+11You can't learn to program and learn how computers work on a closed source OS? What in the world are you talking about? You can still program Python, C (And it's variants), Ruby, etc, on a closed source OS. You can still learn how computers work on a closed source OS. The fundamental principles are the same, whether or not the OS source code is available.
The point of the OLPC project is to give these kids in impoverished nations a chance for a better life. If you don't believe that the ability to use the Windows OS is a skill that will help them in that pursuit, it's because you've placed yourself into a neat box of denial, simply because of your hatred for Microsoft.
No matter whether or not the dislike for MS is deserved, Windows is on top right now, and if we want these kids to be able to get out of the fields, and into careers, them being able to use Windows isn't a bad thing, and I find it atrocious that there seems to be a consensus of "Who cares about whether or not the program is meeting it's intended purpose, let's bash them because they're using Windows, and Windows sucks!" - jjpertusch, on 05/16/2008, -0/+8i found it in the XO wiki article:
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB11319330514 ...
"Steve Jobs, Apple Computer Inc.'s chief executive, offered to provide free copies of the company's operating system, OS X, for the machine, according to Seymour Papert, a professor emeritus at MIT who is one of the initiative's founders. "We declined because it's not open source," says Dr. Papert, noting the designers want an operating system that can be tinkered with. An Apple spokesman declined to comment."
so no official word from apple, just from one of the founders. must not have been that serious of an offer. - ruiacp, on 05/16/2008, -1/+9Most virus spread through unprotected "third world" networks. With lowcost laptops with XP in their schools...
Mcaffe, Trend Micro and Symantec are very happy with m$, more virus=more profit. - drevin, on 05/16/2008, -3/+10They already cost $200
- Modestexcuse, on 05/16/2008, -1/+8To be fair, they could cost as little as $1200, depending on which of the 4 versions of Vista you choose.
- sagat, on 05/16/2008, -2/+9It's sad that it has happened but it seems the world was not ready for Linux. OLPC's sales were very poor and with counties such as India and Egypt demanding Windows based systems, they had little choice but to give in. Remember this was never about Linux it was about making technology available to those who would have grown up and lived their entire lives without ever seeing a computer. OS aside the most important thing is to get laptops to the kids.
- mazzmn, on 05/16/2008, -9/+16Bad title, they never made the $100 price point...but they did make $200 I believe. No way these things run Vista
- jorisb, on 05/16/2008, -8/+15Not once in that whole article does it say Microsoft is lending them financial help.
Microsoft wants kids to get "hooked" on windows as early as possible. Linux is the perfect match for a program like this and it is a damn shame they are selling out like this.
FTA "OLPC changed its mission outright, and in the most ill-conceived way imaginable," Ivan Krstic, a former security developer for the laptop group, recently wrote in an e-mail - deadheadmon, on 05/16/2008, -8/+15one soul sucking corporate piece of crap per child.
- honesttussey, on 05/16/2008, -0/+6Not quite sure you're getting dugg up. It did happen.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Apple boss Steve Jobs offered to equip each of the machines with a gratis copy of Mac OS X.
Seymour Papert, a professor emeritus at MIT and one of the project's founders, said the scheme had refused Jobs' offer on the grounds that Mac OS X is a proprietary system.
Papert told the WSJ: "We declined because it's not open source," adding the $100 laptop creators will only choose an operating system where the source code is open and can be altered.
Source: http://hardware.silicon.com/desktops/0,39024645,39 ... - Coffeedemon, on 05/16/2008, -6/+12maybe a better chance that they'll meet their goal of being able to provide laptops to kids for a low price?
- BigW, on 05/16/2008, -3/+9I thought XP was due to be retired next year. What are they going to put on these laptops then? There's no way in hell a $100 ($ 200) laptop will be able to run Vista.
- slochewie, on 05/16/2008, -8/+13Now I wouldn't take one if they paid me.
- falafelkiosken, on 05/16/2008, -6/+11Microsoft? I hate those guys
- smotpoker, on 05/16/2008, -2/+7Not in 3rd world countries. When you buy one from U.S. or Canada they use the extra $100 to send one to a 3rd world kid
- Kenzan, on 05/16/2008, -0/+5I really hope that these will be available for our poorest children in America as well as other nations.
- inactive, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4You can bake them.
- skip77, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6From "laptop.org/laptop/software/" :
"XO is built from free and open-source software. Our commitment to software freedom gives children the opportunity to use their laptops on their own terms. While we do not expect every child to become a programmer, we do not want any ceiling imposed on those children who choose to modify their machines. We are using open-document formats for much the same reason: transparency is empowering. The children—and their teachers—will have the freedom to reshape, reinvent, and reapply their software, hardware, and content."
Guess they might haven't gotten around to "updating" this section yet....
:( - Vodd9, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6They probably consider it as a long-term investment. The children who have grown up using Linux would probably be more inclined to use this OS instead of windows later-on in their life, which could be bad for Microsoft.
- simg, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4I always thought it was strange that they tried to develop a new OS for the OLPC.
If you're trying to create a cheap computer, why not put any well known Linux distro on it ? Zero development costs ... - CircleFusion, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6Don't equate this response with simple hate for Microsoft. People are disappointed that the system won't be a 100% open system any longer. Sure, there will be more penetration, but the project itself has changed considerably in order to achieve that penetration.
- craigp, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4...and isn't that the most worrying/scary/saddest thing about this whole sorry mess? The fact that it wasn't adopted because IT workers in the civil service departments in the countries that refused Linux couldn't see past their MSCEs.
Ivan Krstić (recently resigned from the OLPC project) speaks about this: http://radian.org/notebook/sic-transit-gloria-lapt ... And he's right. It isn't about Windows or Linux. It's about bring a platform of learning to as many kids as possible. This, I agree with.
What is so sad is that there are so many so-called 'IT Professionals' who couldn't think outside their M$-coloured box to understand that there could be an alternative, and it's this that has killed the chance of Linux on the OLPC. Undoubtedly, Linux is the better technical and philosophical alternative for OLPC, but it has been beaten down by the M$ hegemony.
If the kids' first experience with a computer ends up being a seven-year-old closed-source virus-ridden OS that is trying to be phased out and not supported by it's vendor, then I feel the OLPC has (at least in part) failed in it's goals of education. - BacIkarma, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6They have made so much money by over pricing their software in the last few years that of course they can do this without loosing money. Hell XP is supposed to be on it's way out then MS brings it back and it will most likely be the OS powering all of these low end pc's because it does not want to give the market over to Linux which I think is still unavoidable given the fact that MS is placing restrictions on what it's OS will and will not do.
- ha1f, on 05/16/2008, -3/+7Do you think that non-profits don't clean up on the financial end? Using XP questionable, but calling out Microsoft for $3 dollar charges (probably at a loss) is ridiculous. Believe it or not, the purpose of non-profit organizations is to turn a profit, and Microsoft if probably losing money here.
- aladrin, on 05/16/2008, -5/+9In Microsoft's defense for the $3 charge, it probably costs them more than that for all the paperwork to allow OLPC to put it on the laptop.
I don't forgive OLPC at all for this, though. - Schmich, on 05/16/2008, -0/+4It's the end of one of the core thoughts behind the 100 dollar laptop.
- soopafly, on 05/16/2008, -2/+6yes.. because ONLY Apple computers cost $1500 :-/
- ToastPop, on 04/17/2009, -24/+27Yeah, you're right, providing laptops to children in third world countries just isn't worth getting the financial help of a big corporation. Who cares about the kids, they should be more worried about morons calling them "sellouts"!
- YodaJones, on 05/16/2008, -0/+3So now they will go with Microsoft? Is that what they consider open source?
- c5kirk, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4I think that's the problem... originally the project was about getting the technology into the hands of children. However, for many in the Free and Open Source community the project became less about getting technology to children and more about giving themselves a platform from which to preach and promote their F/OSS ideology. Hence, anything that goes against that ideology, such as putting XP on the machines, is bad in their eyes... even if it results in more children getting laptops.
- rohan1234, on 05/16/2008, -1/+4No, they're not saving $3. Microsoft is selling Windows for $3, so they're spending $3 more.
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